Apparatus for feeding grain to



June 22, 1954 c, BOUCH ER 2,681,768

APPARATUS FOR FEEDING GRAIN T0 HAMMER MILLS Filed June 25, 1951 i 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 June 22, 1954 c, E, BOUCHER 4 2,681,768

APPARATUS FOR FEEDING GRAIN T0 HAMMER MILLS Filed June 25, 1951 3 Sheets$heeh 2 I ATTORNEYS) 4 5 9 1 2, 2 m H, J

3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed June 25 1951 Patented June 22, 1954 APPARATUS FOR FEEDING GRAIN TO HAMMER MILLS Charles Eugene Boucher, Juliette, Quebec, Canada, assignor to S. Vessot Company Limited, Joliette, Quebec, Canada Application June 25, 1951, Serial No. 233,272

14. Claims. 1

This invention relates to improvements in grain pulverizing mills of the rotary beater or hammer type, and more particularly to an improved delivery means for feeding grain to a hammerinill.

A particular object of this invention is to provide an apparatus for feeding grain to a hamniermill on the suction side thereof which consists of a hopper mounted above a grain pit, the latter being connected to the hammermill by a horizontal conduit and novel means for regulating the flow of grain from the hopper to the pit to stabilize the level of the grain in the pit for constant controlled feed of the grain from the pit to the suction side of the hammermill.

Another object is to provide a removable receptacle in the pit designed to entrap any foreign particles carried in the flow of grain to prevent their introduction into the hammermill chamber.

A further object is to provide a novel arrangement for directing the grain flow to the pit so as to ensure that any foreign particles carried by the grain will be directed to a receptacle therefor along paths remote from the hammermill inlet.

A. still further object is to provide novel means for inducing a forced draft whereby the particles of grain are impelled from the grain pit to the hammermill conduit.

The above and other objects and characteristic features of this invention will be understood more readily from the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view, partly broken away, of a grain feed apparatus embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken along the lines 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view with the front wall removed to reveal certain assembled parts of the apparatus.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view of a modified form of the apparatus.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary perspective view of the apparatus shown inFig. 5.

Fig. '7 is a view similar to Fig. 5, but showing certain parts in another position.

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the apparatus shown in Fig. '7.

Fig. 9 is a sectional detail view taken along the lines 9--9 of Fig. 3.

as housing rear wall.

Fig.10 is a sectional view taken along the lines lllm of Fig. 5.

Fig. 11 is a sectional view taken along the lines llil of Fig. 5.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 5 generally indicates a housing for a grain feeding apparatus comprising vertical side and front walls t and 'l and a rear wall including a vertical lower section 8 and an outwardly inclined upper section The upper portion of housing 5 contains a hopper l0 defined by side and front Walls 6 and 'l and an inclined wall 1 i sloping inwardly from the upper edge of rear wall section 9 to the upper edge of an intermediate vertical wall l2 paralleling the front Wall l. Hopper Ill is centrally divided by baffle walls it extending from front wall 1 to rear wall ii. Each baffle wall it slopes from a central apex l5, located below the upper edge of the hopper, toward an adjacent side wall 6 with the lower edge terminating at it, located a predetermined distance from adjacent side wall 6 and the upper edge of vertical wall 12. Vertical walls l1 extend down from the lower edge It of baiile walls in spaced parallel relation to adjacent side walls 6 to a predetermined distance above the bottom of housing 5. Walls I? are joined along their forward edges to the front wall i and along their rearward edges to the lower portion of hopper end wall ll to meet the upper edge of intermediate vertical wall 12.

The bafiie walls l4 direct the grain toward opposite sides of the hopper and into spaced vertical passageways 2'0 defined by the side and front walls 6 and 7, intermediate wall [2 and vertical wall IT. The lower end of each passage way 20 is provided with an incurved extension plate 2| from the side wall 6 which directs the grain to a central pit 22, the grain passing under the lower edge of vertical wall H.

A plate 23 extends vertically from the upper edge of intermediate wall i2 between vertical walls I! which conjointly define a housing 24 closed at the bottom by a plate 25 extending from the upper end of intermediate wall i2 to front wall '4. An elongated opening 26 is provided in wall I2 directly beneath plate 25. Opening 26 is of a relatively shallow depth to permit a substantial buildup of grain in the pit 22 below the opening 28. The apparatus is provided with a horizontal grain conduit 21 having its inner end supported on a bracket 28 to' surround the opening 26. The side walls 2%! of conduit 2'! are outwardly flared as indicated in Fig. 2 to a nozzle 35! projecting through an opening in the lower section 8 of the The conduit top wall 3! aciyee tapers toward nozzle 35 (see Fig. 3). Nozzle 35 has an opening substantially equal to the opening in capacity to reduce friction to a minimum, but is of substantially greater width and is proportionately shallower in depth so as to spread the grain over a wide area as it is fed to a hammermill, generally indicated at 32, when connected'to the nozzle (see Fig. 2).

Housing 24 is provided with a grain feed regulator, generally indicated at 35, and comprising a horizontal plate 36 having depending front and rear flanges 3! and 38 and elongated vertical side plates 39 and 45 which project a substantial distance below plate with short marginal upper portions 4! and 42 projecting above the upper surface of plate 36. Side plates 39 and are disposed against the inner surfaces of the adjacent side walls ll of housing 24 and project through slots 43 (see Fig. 11) in the housing bottom plate 25 so as to be disposed on opposite sides of the inlet opening 26 of conduit 2?. Regulator 35 moves vertically in housing 24 by an elevating mechanism comprising a shaft 45 having its lower end screw threaded through a collar 46 secured to plate 35. The upper end of shaft 45 which extends through a sleeve d5 in bafile walls 14 is stabilized by a bracket 4? carried by front wall I. A crank handle 48 rotates shaft 45 causing the collar 45 to rid along the threaded portion of shaft 45 to thereby vertically adjust the grain regulator 35 to any desired position.

A butterfly valve extends across opening 25 and. is swingable about a horizontal axis provided by a shaft 5! having a handle 52 beyond one side wallt by means of which the valve is adjusted.

The front wall 7 of housing 5 is provided with an opening 54 extending substantially from the base to a point above the upper end of housing 24. The bottom portion of opening 54 is of substantially greater width than the remaining portion, thereabove to receive a drawer 55 which is slidable on tracks 56 and forms a retractable bottom for pit 22. Draw-er 55 has a rearwardly extending platform 5? which normally projects beyond pit 22 when the drawer is in its closed position and which serves as a cut-off to retain the grain above the drawer level when the latter is pulled out. Above the drawer level, opening 54 is of a width substantially equal to the width of housing 24, its side edges extending vertically to the height of housing 24 and then being directed upwardly and inwardly to provide a sufficient opening above the housing for easy access to the grain regulator elevating mechanism. An air duct 59 defined by vertical side walls 60 and an inclined front wall 5! is secured to front wall! over opening 54 above the drawer and is provided with a sliding latch bar 52 on front wall 5! for retaining drawer 55 in its closed position. The upper edge of the air duct is disposed above the level of the housing bottom plate 25 and is slotted at 64 adjacent the housing front wall I so that the lower portion of a cover plate 55, which is secured over the upper section of opening 54 is received in the slots 64. The plate '55 is provided with a lower marginal projection 55 which extends for a substantial distance below housing plate 25 and between the side walls'liil of the air duct as a baffle for air currents from the duct to the grain pit.

Both of the plates 25 and 35 are provided with openings 58 which permit air to circulate so as to prevent accumulation of grain dust which would otherwise collect and prevent manipulation of the regulator. The upper marginal portions 41 and 42 of side plates 39 and 40 assist in prevent- 4 ing dust from falling between adjacent surfaces" of the side plates 35 and 45 and side walls I! of the housing.

In operation, the grain which is fed to the hopper i5 is directed by baffle walls 14 to passageways 20 at either side of the apparatus and thence to pit 22. The grain is permitted to build up in pit 22 to a level predetermined by the adjustment of regulator 35. This predetermined level is in the proximity of the inlet opening 25 to conduit 2']. The conduit is connected at its nozzle end 35 in conventional or any other desired manner to a hammermill 32 on the suction side of a fan or blower, designated 33, by means of which the grain is delivered to the hammerrnill. The level of the grain in pit 22 will be determined by the type of grain employed so as to continuously supply grain to the hanimermill at a uniform rate of speed.

The suction through conduit 2'. causes a current of air to be drawn through duct 55 and across the level of the grain in pit 22. This may be assisted by angular adjustment of butterfly valve 50 to increase or modify the air current so that the upper layer of grain is drawn into the conduit from the pit. As the top layer of grain is carried off the grain from the hopper is fed beneath the bottom edges of side plates 35 and 45 of regulator 35 to maintain the predetermined level in the pit. Once the grain has started to flow to the hammermill the operator can adjust the feed thereto by manipulating the regulator to obtain umforrn feed equal to the maximum capacity of .the hammermill without overloading.

If the grain particles are heavy the butterfly valve will be moved towards a closed position to increase the draft force sufficient only to move or lift the upper layer of heavier grain from the pit. However, in the case of light weight grain particles the draft force may be suitably modified by moving the butterfly valve away from the conduit opening so that only the top layer of light weight grain particles will be carried to the hammermill. With an apparatus according to my invention the operator is assured that, by proper adjustment of the regulator 35 and the butterfly valve 55, only the grain particles up to a maximum desired weight will be carried to the hammermill. The heavier grain particles and other foreign matter will remain in the pit 22. It is well known that grain as it is shipped freguently contains such foreign objects as wood, nails, nuts and bolts.

In the feeding of grain to a hammermill by certain conventional apparatus, these'foreign objects are delivered to the hammerrnill with the grain and cause a great deal of destruction thereto. In providing a feeding apparatus according to my invention the delivery of these foreign objects to the hanimermill is completely eliminated. In the first place the grain is delivered by indirect paths to the pit in such a way that foreign particles heavier than the grain, will tend to work their way toward the bottom of the pit along the sides of the apparatus rather than passing directl in front of the conduit opening 26 through which the grain is fed to the hammermill. This reduces any hazard of the foreign particles being picked up by the forced draft in front of the conduit opening. Secondly, the side plates of the regulator 35 serve as baffle walls which permit only replacement quantities of grain to flow therebeneath to a position of delivery in front of the conduit opening as the upper layer in the pit is being carried off into the conduit.

As previously stated drawer 55 is located at the bottom of the grain pit and it is into this drawer that the heavy foreign objects are deposited. When the mill is in operation the drawer is normally secured in place by the latch bar 6-2. The drawer may be withdrawn at any time to remove the foreign objects by raising the latch bar. When the drawer is withdrawn platform 51 serves as a cut-off to hold the grain above the drawer level so as tofacilitate closing of the drawer. In Figs. 1 to 4 I have shown an apparatus provided with a grain feed regulator in which the side plates 39 and 40 are provided with substantially horizontally disposed lower edges 10. This permits an even distribution of a top layer of grain over a substantially wide area from front to rear of the pit.

A modified form of the grain feed regulator is illustrated in Figs. 5 to 8 inclusive. The regulator side plates 39 and 40 are provided with lower edges Hi which are inclined from front to rear with the maximum length of the plates being adjacent the conduit opening 26. With this arrangement the grain level diminishes from front to rear with the mean level at approximately half way therebetween. Thus the air currents tend to pick-up the grain nearest the front of the pit and carry it over the rear portion to the hammermill feed conduit. It has been found that an accurate regulation of. the grain feed can be attained more rapidly with the modified feed regulator and that it is more readily adaptable for grains of different weights.

In Figs. 5 and 6 I. have illustrated the manner of regulating the feed of light weight grain to the pit' in front of feed conduit 26. As the grain flows under the side plates 39 and 43 it tends to fiow in a horizontal direction to fill the void created by the forced draft removal of grain. However, the rate of flow is naturally diminished by friction and in the case of a light weight grain the lateral flow will be rapidly diminished so that the top layer will have a concave contour. Because of the inclined bottom edges W of the side plates 39 and it the lowest point of the grain surface will be at a central point adjacent wall I2 defining the rear wall of pit 22. It is particularly desirous to maintain the grain at a suitable level where the grain will not build up directly in front of opening 26 above the floor level of the conduit 21. In order to ensure this, regulator side plates 39 and it are adjusted so that lowest point of their inclined lower edges ill are approximately at a floor level of conduit 21. Thus the light grain between plates 39 and 49 will be at floor level of conduit 21 adjacent plates 39 and 40 directly in front of opening 26 and below that level adjacent opening 26 in the centre. However, the level rises toward the front of the pit. In Fig. 5 I have indicated by broken line the slope from rear to front of the pit at the centre. From this it will be seen that the mean level at the centre is at about floor level of conduit 21. The current of air tends to pick up the top layer of grain and carry it to conduit 2?. The maximum current is however in the centre and tends to lift the greatest quantity at this point with the air current forces diminishin toward opposite sides. Due to the convex surface of the grain compensation is made for the varying air current forces so that the flow of grain is evenly distributed across the mouth of the conduit 21. As the force of the air current need only be sufiicient to lift light grain particles, this force can be diminished by opening butterfly valve 50.

' an exclusive property or privilege In Figs. 7 and 8 I have illustrated the manner of regulating the apparatus to accommodate the feed of heavier grain particles. As the lateral movement of the heavier grain particles is not so readily diminished by friction, the heavier grain particles tend to pyramid toward the centre of the pit between the regulator sid plates 39 and it resulting in a convex contour to the upper surface of the grain in pit 22. This calls for a lowering of the regulator to ensure that the grain at the rear of the pit will not be spilled through the opening 25 and into conduit 2'! without air current control of same. As the air current force is greatest at the centre the most of the grain fed into conduit 2? will come from the centre of the pile. However, as the heavier grain particles are substantially looser they will disperse more readily across the width of the conduit 27. With the increase of the weight of the rain particles it is necessary to increase the force of the air current to lift the particles from the pit into the conduit. This is accomplished by regulating the butterfly valve 5% towards its closed position.

The embodiments of the invention in which is claimed are defined asfollows:

1. Apparatus for feeding grain to a hammermillcomprising a hopper into which grain is introduced, a grain pit below said hopper, said. pit being provided with a side opening spaced substantially above the floor level of said pit, a horizontal grain conduit extending from said side opening to said hammermill and in communication therewith, bafile walls positioned within said hopper having their upper portions tapering to meet at a point above said side opening and their lower portions extending downwardly a predetermined distance on either side of said side opening and in spaced relation to opposing sides of said hopper to provide side passageways at either side of said opening directly communicating with said hopper and said pit so as to Icy-pass said side opening, and a grain feed regulator mounted over said opening between said passageways, said regulator including a side wall extension adjacent the lower end of each baffle and adjustable relative to said baflie and adapted to regulate the flow of grain from the passageways to the pit to provide a predetermined level of the grain in the pit in relation to the side opening for feeding said grain to the conduit.

2. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1, including a drawer slidably fitted in the bottom of said pit for the deposit of foreign particles carried with the grain, said drawer being removable for the separation of the foreign particles from the grain.

3. Apparatus as set forth in claim 2, including a cut-off member carried by said drawer and adapted to retain the grain in the pit at its normal level when said drawer is slidably removed from the pit.

4. Apparatus for feeding grain to a hammermill comprising a hopper into which grain is introduced, a grain pit below said hopper, said pit being provided with a side opening spaced substantially above the floor level of said pit, a grain feed regulator housing centrally mounted in said pit above said side opening, bafile walls positioned within said hopper having their upper portions tapering to meet at a point above said side opening and their lower portions extending downwardly a predetermined distance on either side of said side opening and in spaced relation to opposing sides of said hopper to provide a passageway at either side of said regulator and communicating with said hopper and said pit so as to by-pass said side opening, a horizontal grain conduit from said hammermill to the side opening in said pit, and means mounted in said sleeve for regulating a lateral flow of grain from said passageways to said pit to a level in relation to said side opening calculated to provide a constant feed of grain to said conduit.

5. Apparatus as set forth in claim 4 in which said regulating means comprises a pair of side wall members mounted for vertical adjustment relative to said housing, said side wall members having their lower extremities projecting below said housing to limit the lateral flow of grain from said passageways to the central portion of the pit to a point predetermined by the vertical adjustment of the side wall members.

6. Apparatus as set forth in claim 5, in which said housing is defined by vertical front, side and rear walls and a bottom closure, said bottom closure being provided with openings adjacent its side walls to receive said vertically adjustable side wall members.

7. Apparatus as set forth in claim 4, in which said conduit is connected to the suction side of said hammermill and means for impelling the grain from the pit to the intake of the conduit including an air duct mounted on said apparatus and communicating with a side opening to said pit opposite the intake of said conduit whereby air currents from said duct are directed to the surface grain in said pit with a force sufficient to impel said grain to the intake of said conduit.

8. Apparatus as set forth in claim 7, including a ballle adjustably mounted to swing about a hori- I zontal axis intermediate the height of said side opening at the intake of said conduit to control the force of the air currents from said air duct.

9. Apparatus as set forth in claim 4, in which said housing is defined by vertical front, side and rear walls and a bottom closure provided with slots adjacent said side walls, and said regulating means comprises a plate member extending transversely of said housing, a pair of side wall members depending from said plate member for vertical sliding movement in the slots of said housing bottom closure, and means engaging said plate member and operable for vertical movement of said plate member relative to the housing to position the lower edges of the side wall members to predetermined levels in the pit relative to the side walls of said housing.

10. Apparatus as set forth in claim 9, including extensions from the upper edge of said side wall members projecting vertically beyond the transverse plate member, said extensions serving to prevent deposits of foreign matter between the adjacent surfaces of the housing side walls and the regulator side wall members.

11. Apparatus as set forth in claim 9, in which said regulator plate and said housing bottom closure are provided with corresponding openings through which air is circulated to prevent accumulation of foreign matter on the upper surfaces of said plate and closure.

12. Apparatus as set forth in claim 5, in which the lower edges of said regulator side wall members are disposed in a horizontal plane to equalize the distribution of the grain from the mouth of the conduit to the remote side of the pit, and an air duct in said remote side of the pit affording a forced draft directed to the grain surface for impelling the grain to said conduit.

13. Apparatus as set forth in claim 5, in which the lower edges of said regulator side wall members are inclined toward the conduit, side of the pit to provide an upward slope to the surface of the grain from the conduit side of the pit to the opposite side, and an air duct in said opposite side of the pit adapted to direct a'forced draft against the sloping surface of the grain with its maximum force directed to the grain at the upper side of the slope and its minimum force directed to the grain at the lower side.

14. Apparatus as set forth in claim 4, in which the lower portions of said baffle walls define the opposing side Walls of said housing and in which said tapering upper portions provide a top closure for said housing serving to direct the downward flow of grain from the hopper to the passageways on opposite sides of the housing.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 7 1,272,311 Plaisted July 9, 1918 1,306,775 Roberts June 17, 1919 1,376,190 Dean Apr. 26, 1921 1,418,866 Dennig June 6, 1922 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 258,579 Germany May 20, 1922 692,601 Germany June 22, 1940 

